What is biotin?
Biotin is an essential nutrient. Essential nutrients are nutrients that your body cannot produce or does not produce enough but needs to function properly.
Therefore, you need to get biotin from your diet or supplements. It's best to get biotin from the foods you eat.
Biotin helps your body:
- Convert food into energy
- Regulates cell signaling in the body
- Manage your genetic activity
Biotin is found in many common foods. It is mainly stored in the liver.
Symptoms of biotin deficiency
Biotin deficiency is rare in the United States. When this happens, symptoms may include:
- thinning hair
- hair loss
- Nails become brittle
- A red, scaly rash, usually around the eyes, nose, and mouth
- Abnormal facial fat distribution
- skin infection
- conjunctivitis
- Nervous system problems - depression, extreme fatigue, hallucinations (adults)
- Decreased muscle tone, slow movement, and developmental delays (in infants)
- epileptic seizure
If you notice symptoms of biotin deficiency, seek help from your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can diagnose biotin deficiency by carefully analyzing your symptoms and lab work. Increasing biotin in your diet or through supplementation may be the key to correcting the deficiency.
You are more likely to develop a biotin deficiency if you:
- Biotinidase deficiency (a rare genetic disorder)
- chronic alcohol use disorder
- Bariatric surgery (such as laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy)
- anorexia or restrictive diet
- Inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease)
- Celiac disease
- Eat plenty of raw proteins regularly - they contain avidin, a protein that binds to biotin and prevents it from being absorbed by the body
Additionally, people who receive parenteral nutrition (intravenous nutrition) are at higher risk of developing biotin deficiency.
Medications that may cause biotin deficiency include:
- Anticonvulsants (epilepsy or epilepsy medicines)
- Antibiotic use destroys gut bacteria
Purported Benefits of Biotin Supplements
Biotin is best known for its purported ability to strengthen hair and nails. Most support for these claims is anecdotal, but there is some promising scientific evidence.
long hair
Biotin is often touted as a hair loss treatment. Some proponents claim that products containing biotin can make your hair stronger and luscious. However, science supports biotin for promoting hair growth only if biotin deficiency is confirmed to be causing hair loss.
strengthen nails
Biotin supplements are sometimes used to treat brittle, worn nails. It is also used to treat nail disorders such as macroonychia, or rough nails, a condition associated with hair loss.
Some clinical trials have found evidence that biotin supplementation can improve these conditions, as well as nail hardness, hardness, and thickness. However, these trials were small and more research is needed.
Additionally, a 2019 review of 16 biotin supplement products purchased from Amazon revealed that only 15% of consumers believed biotin supplements improved their nails.
Treat other diseases
Blood sugar control: A small number of studies suggest that biotin supplementation may improve blood sugar control in some people with type 2 diabetes. Biotin is thought to speed up the conversion of glucose into energy and prevent blood sugar from rising too high. More research is needed to determine exactly how biotin can be used for this purpose.
Neuropathy: There is some evidence that biotin supplementation may improve symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in people who have nerve damage due to complications of type 2 diabetes. However, researchers have not conducted clinical trials to study biotin supplementation for this purpose. Again, more research is needed.
Hyperlipidemia: Biotin can promote the breakdown and transformation of lipids such as triglycerides and cholesterol in the body. This process is called lipid metabolism. In turn, biotin supplementation may help prevent hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). High LDL cholesterol (or "bad cholesterol") is a common problem among people with diabetes. Some research suggests that biotin supplementation may help lower LDL cholesterol levels, especially in people with diabetes.
biotin side effects
Biotin is generally well tolerated and does not cause side effects even at high doses.
However, biotin can interfere with laboratory work, causing false readings. This effect has been noted in the following tests:
- thyroid level test
- Vitamin D level test
- Reproductive hormone testing
- Cardiac (heart) exam
- Immunosuppressive drug testing
The use of biotin has led to the misdiagnosis of hyperthyroidism and Graves' disease, a serious autoimmune thyroid disease. This is due to the effects of biotin on thyroid lab work.
Talk to your healthcare provider before starting a supplement regimen. They may recommend that you stop taking biotin until you have your labs done.
Food sources of biotin
A daily intake of 30 micrograms (mcg) of biotin is sufficient for adults.
Food sources of biotin (in micrograms) include:
- Cooked beef liver (31 mcg per 3-ounce serving)
- Hard-boiled eggs (10 mcg per egg)
- Cooked Pork Chops (4 mcg per 3-ounce serving)
- Cooked hamburger patty (4 mcg per 3-ounce serving)
- Roasted sunflower seeds (2 mcg per 1/4 cup)
- Cooked sweet potatoes (2 mcg per 1/2 cup)
- Toasted almonds (2 mcg per 1/4 cup)
biotin supplements
Biotin supplements are available in a variety of oral forms, including liquid, tablet, gummy, and capsule forms. When taken orally, the body absorbs 100% of biotin, even at high doses.
dose
The Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) has not established a Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for biotin. However, 30 micrograms (mcg) of biotin per day is sufficient for adults, with the following recommendations:
- Birth to 6 months: 5 micrograms (mcg) per day
- 7 to 12 months: 6 mcg
- 1 to 3 years: 8 mcg
- 4 to 8 years: 12 mcg
- 9 to 13 years: 20 mcg
- Adults 19 years and older: 30 mcg
- During breastfeeding: 35 micrograms
Americans typically get this amount or more through their diet.
Safety
Although biotin is unlikely to cause adverse side effects even at high doses, keep in mind that dietary supplements are not regulated in the same way as drugs in the United States.
Please note that even if supplements are third-party tested, they are not necessarily safe or overall effective for everyone. Discuss any supplements you plan to take with your healthcare provider and ask about potential interactions with other supplements or medications.
generalize
Biotin supplements are effective in treating hair loss and skin problems caused by biotin deficiency. If you are concerned about your hair health, contact your healthcare provider immediately. Keep in mind that biotin can interfere with your lab work. Discuss discontinuing use with your healthcare provider before completing labs.
